Of course, Thailand has many beautiful islands. White-sand beaches with a perfect half-circle lay out, splendid palm trees, crystal-clear water, the perfect ocean scenery. This must be what paradise looks like.

Among these, we have chosen Koh Samui, as this island is said to be a slightly less touristy than the other, better-known Thai islands. And today, after a few days enjoying the beach, we will tour the island on a scooter.

A little bit of geography, first. The island of Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand. About 25-km long from North to South, and 21-km long from East to West, it is the third largest Thai island, after the world-famous Phuket, which is situated on the other side of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, and Koh Chang, which is located on the Eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand, not far from Cambodia.

Needless to say, this being Thailand, and Koh Samui being just a 2-hour direct flight from Bangkok, one should not expect to be alone there and see few tourists….

However, once you go off the beaten path in Koh Samui, you find an island that is charming and still rather authentic.

We have checked in at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, by the Chaweng beach. It is a very comfortable hotel, with very spacious rooms which offer a magnificent view on the ocean front, the splendid tropical garden, the coconut trees, the white sand…..The perfect recipe for a great week of rest at the beach. Here is the view from our balcony:

A view of the hotel temple at dawn:

The Chaweng beach at dawn:

So, of course, living in this paradise setting, one soon turns into a beach potato, lying (and frying) in the sun. The only effort of each day consists in getting up slowly from your beach chair to go lie down in the clear, warm water, and after a while, back to your chair station. A side effect of our lazy lifestyle during these few days, we got the most ticklish sun burns in improbable spots: on the earlobes, on the back of the neck underneath the hair… life is tough under the tropics!

After a while however, it occurs to us that perhaps we have had enough rest on the beach. And so, not quite on a whim, we decide to go on a discovery tour of the island. To that end, we have rented a scooter. Our plan is to ride south-bound along the east coast of the island all the way down to the southernmost point, and from there, to take a boat to go visit the mysterious island of Koh Tan. So, see you soon for our next post ‘’Koh Samui by scooter and the mystery of Koh Tan’’!